Seahawks’ big season ends

HUNTINGTON BEACH — It was a great senior year for forward Andrea Ecker and defender Rachel Drolet.

The only two seniors on the Ocean View High girls’ soccer team will remember leading the team to the CIF Southern Section Division V quarterfinals, the furthest the program has ever gone in CIF.

“It was awesome to see everybody actually supporting us,” Ecker said of the fans who showed up at Friday’s season-ending 3-0 loss to Notre Dame Academy in the quarterfinals. “It was just a good feeling to know that you’re playing for your school, representing your school.”

Ocean View had defeated Whittier Christian in the second round Tuesday on Ecker’s goal. But Friday afternoon, they ran into a bit of a powerhouse, as Notre Dame Academy ended the Seahawks’ season for the second straight year.

Ocean View Coach David Deaton knew his team faced long odds before the game even started.

They’re not a Division V team,” Deaton said. “They’re clearly above that level, but you know, CIF has these funky rules. It’s unfair to schools like us, because schools like that are always in it and we’re not. We can’t compete with that. They get to recruit, they get the year-round club players and we don’t. That’s just the way it goes.”

Notre Dame scored what Deaton called a “lucky” goal in the fourth minute, on a lofted shot from the right by senior Shonice Myers that went just over the fingertips of Seahawks goalie Kalie McColloch, who made three saves in the game.

The visitors added goals in the 16th minute and 36th minute by Karen Wisniewski and Lauren Rodriguez, respectively. Both came on bouncing balls in front of the goal that Ocean View (14-8-3) couldn’t clear.

“I think our girls still believed they could do something,” Deaton said. “They were just outmanned. It’s like USC playing Cal State Fullerton; it’s not even going to be a contest.”

Notre Dame Academy was bigger and played more physical, which the Seahawks weren’t accustomed to. Junior midfielder Mikhaila Bowden, the two-time Golden West League Offensive Player of the Year, said that first goal also shocked her team a bit.

“The first goal was like a wake-up, I guess, for us,” Bowden said. “I guess we weren’t really ready. The rest of the goals, I know we were trying but they were just more physical than us. We weren’t as strong as we usually are.”

Still, the future looks bright with just two graduates.

“They’re a family,” Deaton said. “They’re a tight-knit group. When you see them off the field, you can see that, and that’s part of the chemistry that has gotten them this far. We’re glad that it will continue for at least another season.”